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As long as it isn't too thin when the machinist is done. You should be able to find the minimum operating thickness through whoever manufactures the flywheel. It probably depends on the flywheel because there are multiple lightweight designs out there. The machinist might be able to help you out as well if you talk to him before getting the work done.

Not really. It depends on design of the actual flywheel.
If the mounting surface for clutch is machined along with clutch friction surface, the you're fine. If you machine just the contact surface for the clutch but not where the pressure plate bolts to the flywheel, then you will have increased clearance between friction surfaces and most likely slippage.

Assuming the flywheel in question is steel it can be resurfaced (like the ones we sell) if the flywheel is aluminum it cannot be resurfaced and you must buy a new steel friction insert.

Obviously thickness of the flywheel needs to be determined by the machine shop, but the other factor to consider is if the flywheel is stepped or flat. If the flywheel has a step and it is not machined correctly the clutch will have disengagement problems.

Assuming the flywheel in question is steel it can be resurfaced (like the ones we sell) if the flywheel is aluminum it cannot be resurfaced and you must buy a new steel friction insert.

Obviously thickness of the flywheel needs to be determined by the machine shop, but the other factor to consider is if the flywheel is stepped or flat. If the flywheel has a step and it is not machined correctly the clutch will have disengagement problems.

I had my stock 2004 flywheel resurfaced at NAPA shop. The machinist used some sort of surface grinder. He commented that the flywheel was not warped and he only removed about 0.005 of an inch. He resurfaced both clutch contact area and pressure plate mounting area, well it's pretty much all the same surface.

One thing he mentioned is that he had to take flywheel apart, i.e. to separate plate facing the engine from the part facing the tranny. After resurfacing he bolted them together. From what the flywheel looks like that's the only way one can resurface mounting and clutch contact area by the same amount (in the mounting aea there are some alignment pins for the pressure plate that will interfere, if not removed).

the only thing that worries me if during the reassembly he might have introduced some miss-balance? From the marks I made on the back plate both flywheel parts where mounted together in the same position.

Is the disassembly of a flywheel is fairly typical for resurfacing? anything to watch out for to check for proper balancing/assembly?

Bumping this from the dead because I'm in a similar situation. I couldn't find the information for minimum thickness through Exedy.

I got exedy lwfw surfaced when I first installed my ej20k swap but when removing all of the awd components of the car I noticed evenly spaced hot spots. The clutch had also been slipping a little at higher loads. I'd like to surface it again for temporary awd use because my second fwd transmission has died.

I still have to assemble my 257 block and get some odds and ends to everything will have to come apart within a matter of months either way for a new clutch and flywheel setup.

So apparently the ff02 98-05 exedy lwfw measures 27.5mm from crank mating surface to disc contact surface when new. He didn't give very specific information on how much you could remove. My main concern was maintaining flywheel integrity considering it is already pretty thin and this will be the second time getting it surfaced and I really have no way of knowing how much they actually removed the first go round.

This time I'll be getting it done by a different machinist in Houston who will also balance it. Will post back on whether or not the he deems it workable. The surface still seems true and the swirls are still there from the previous blanchard cuts, just has evenly spaced dark spots that may or may not be hot spots.

In my personal opinion it all depends on how much meat is on the actual part that gets resurfaced. I'm no technician or anything. But the reason these flywheels are considered light weight is because they already take off and extra meat that would create extra weight. My answer is going to be a no. Check with with someone that has been surfacing them for years.

After having a lightweight flywheel explode in my UK Impreza Turbo (with $$$$$ bill to repair) I would be very careful of re-using a flywheel that used up it's design life.

If you are going to re-use it check for cracks on the surface, even then having a machinist skim the surface may not be a good option if your design is already a lightweight type.

It is a gamble and if it goes wrong its a big buck repair so personally I would just fit a new one.

Quote:

Originally Posted by SpeedyPetey

In my personal opinion it all depends on how much meat is on the actual part that gets resurfaced. I'm no technician or anything. But the reason these flywheels are considered light weight is because they already take off and extra meat that would create extra weight. My answer is going to be a no. Check with with someone that has been surfacing them for years.

The exedy tech found no problem with me getting it done and gave me the new thickness to determine how much can be removed. I'm going to call again to confirm how much can be taken off maximum. The flywheel never had cracks and still doesn't.

If your flywheel has been overheated, it is a bad idea to resurface as it can leave stress fractures in the metal thus causing it to violently seperate. Same thing for flywheels that have extremely high mileages on them, and you are resurfacing them for a heavier duty clutch.

Depending on how out of spec it is, be it warped, worn, etc... there are many variables to consider when re-surfacing. With replacements being under 300$ it would save you money, and piece of mind just to get a new one.

Currently I have been running an ACT HDSS Clutch with a ACT StreetLight flywheel for the past 10,000 miles, and I love them both. However the revs do drop and rise quite quickly, I am thinking of swapping back to a stock 04 STi Flywheel. (Note I use a 04 STi trans in a 07 WRX.)

Depending on how out of spec it is, be it warped, worn, etc... there are many variables to consider when re-surfacing. With replacements being under 300$ it would save you money, and piece of mind just to get a new one.

+1

Are you really going to save much (if any) money by resurfacing - What is the motivation to re-use?

Just like checking to see if your brake rotors are within spec before turning them for a brake job I am doing the same with the flywheel. (YES, I know the brake rotors don't spin as fast as the flywheel most of the time but I had to use some kind of analogy ) In today's use once and throw away society I guess its really a big deal to try and conserve resources. It would really be a waste (of my time and money and of the resources used to manufacture this flywheel) if I just tossed it in the trash and bought a new one, especially if this one will work well. It never gave me problems in my car and I see no reason to waste something if it works within spec. I will update hopefully during this coming week.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Corsaro

+1

Are you really going to save much (if any) money by resurfacing - What is the motivation to re-use?

I will save a good bit of money.. that can go toward parts for the rest of the vehicle. Its only going to be about $60 to mill and balance vs about $300 for another of the same flywheel, I'd say that's motivation.

Finding subaru parts in Louisiana is like desert farming, takes way too many resources and usually isn't profitable. Fwd mode is temporary in this car since my previous was totalled. Fwd is also fun on the freeway, pretty peppy.

I got the flywheel done today, he only removed about 5 thousandths. The original thickness was 27.5mm as new. He also balanced the flywheel, the pressure plate didn't need any balance. It will be nice knowing the assembly is balanced from the start, at least that's one area that won't be causing vibration and noise in my car.